Claremont McKenna College
The Inevitability of College Admissions: Claremont McKenna and Beyond So you've made it to your Junior or Senior year of high school, and now the time has come for you to compile a list of prospective colleges or begin applying to the schools on your list. Congratulations, this is an exciting time in your life -- one that you shouldn’t take lightly, as this not-too-far-off decision will determine your new home for the next four years.
If the above description applies to you, then please make the decision to silence all technology and dedicate no more than five minutes of your time to this article. I want to walk you through my journey, which inevitably landed me at Claremont McKenna College. However, if you are just now beginning high school, then the following information will still prove beneficial, so continue reading.
At the start of my Junior year, I felt so far behind the rest of my peers. Most of them had already taken the ACT or SAT at least once and scored fairly well. Meanwhile, I hadn't even opened a standardized test prep book. I figured that my good grades foreshadowed a high percentile test score; I was wrong.
I took the ACT for the first time during the October of my junior year. I won't disclose my score, but I will say that it was not acceptable for the colleges on my list. So I retook the test a couple months later, but couldn't finish it because my nerves got the best of me. As a result, I got grossly sick. (Sad, I know). Why was I nervous? I could ace a Biology or Calculus test, but not a standardized test? Clearly, I placed too much weight on their overall importance. Sure, colleges look at these tests when considering your application for admission, but not to the extent that I had imagined. This leads me to my first piece of advice: think of standardized test scores like RAM (random access memory) in a computer -- the more you have the better and faster your computer will operate, but if you only have the minimal amount, then it will still function properly, just not as fast.
After these two ACT attempts, I decided to take the SAT instead; both times I produced similar scores, except for a significantly higher writing score on the second trial. I saw that my standardized test scores weren’t going to improve, regardless of all the studying I did, so I stopped taking them. I then focused my attention to other parts of my application, which therefore transitions into my second piece of advice: make colleges see what you see. You are the one compiling all of the data in your application. So why not structure it in a way that presents the best possible candidate? If you are not good at taking standardized tests (like me), then highlight your excellent writing ability in the personal essay or your desire to serve the community through volunteer hours. Don't limit yourself to one aspect; the possibilities are endless.
I like to think that the above advice directly impacted my admission to CMC, but honestly, I think something much larger is at work. If you direct your attention back to the second paragraph, you will see that I emphasized the word inevitably. I believe that everyone -- despite all of our worrying -- will find their way to the RIGHT college, even if that college was not among the top choices. Now this is not to say that our academic and athletic tendencies don't play a role in what colleges accept us, but it is to say that everything will work itself out in the end. If you put in the work throughout high school, rest assured you will go to college; so stop stressing. Throughout my senior year, I didn't follow this warning. I stayed stress, constantly floating questions around in my head such as:
What if I don't receive enough financial aid?
What if I don't get accepted into any of my schools?
What if I have to force my parents to take out loans?
What if I don't receive a scholarship?
The list could go on forever, but the point here is that I wasted so much time stressing over an issue that eventually worked itself out anyway. Use my story as a learning opportunity. So if you find yourself relating to any of this, then I urge you to heed this warning. Trust me, it’s far too valuable to be overlooked. Before we progress into my concluding thoughts, I have a confession to make. When I was tasked to write this article, the other party only requested I write about the wealth of opportunity present at CMC (the part that I am getting to now). I felt the need to give you more than just a litany of basic facts, but rather a story that walks you through my journey in hopes you can find some commonality with it. I hope I accomplished my goal, but now I will present to you some facts on CMC and what I consider to be some of the greatest assets available at any college. CMC Facts
Small class sizes
5 C’s Consortium -- you can take classes at the other four schools (Pitzer, Pomona, Harvey Mudd, and Scripps)
Athenaeum -- 4 times a week, CMC hosts speakers from different disciplines. Students can sign up to listen. Q/A at the end of presentation. This fosters an environment of respectful and civilized debate.
Great location -- easily navigate to the beach, L.A, or the mountains, and don’t forget the weather
Meets 100% of demonstrated financial need
Approximately 1300 undergraduates allows for easy access to research positions, even for freshman
Friendly people, professors, and faculty
No freshman housing -- 20% of all residence halls are reserved for freshman, which promotes interaction between students of different class years
“The CARE Center (Civility, Access, Resources, and Expression) is an innovative undertaking that seeks to proactively engage and educate the community. The Center seeks to build capacity in communicating across difference with respect and civility. We are challenging ourselves to achieve the dual goal of providing space for dialogue and expression in a civil manner while also providing resources to support inclusion and remove institutional barriers to student success.” https://www.cmc.edu/care-center
Numerous internship opportunities
Politically aware campus
Let’s Wrap this Up So as you can see, CMC has lots to offer, and this list only scratches the surface. But there is one point I want to stress: CMC, like any other college, has its ideal student. By this, I mean that if CMC fails to align itself completely with your standards, goals, and desires, then it is not the RIGHT fit for you. You have worked far too hard to settle; so don’t. Before we finish up here, I want to leave you with two important action items:
Form a list of everything you want out of your college experience, career, and life.
then...
Formulate your college list around schools that you think can best provide you with the necessary resources to start making that vision become a reality.
